Package jack



A. H. LUNDSTROM 2,331,035

PACKAGE JACK Filed Jan. 22, 1940 fire] H. .Ziundsiram Patented Oct. 5, 1943 l 2,331,035 PACKAGE JACK I Axel -H. Lundsa-om, Madison-Wis. Aim iat aiigran'i aryzz, ie iofsrialNatural V roams-a (c1. zes -.412)

This invention relates "toa jacksforpositivelypositioning goods withina packageitoinsure easy Withdrawal of the goods'wheth'er; the package be completely filledor only partia1ly:fi1led One object a of this -;invention is toeprovide; aja'ck'which will keep thesupply qfthe articlesdn' the package constantly in reach ot the opening through: which they, are to be withdrawn.

Another object ofthis invention is to provide a jack which will serve to strengthen, the package container so that itwill retain its original shape for 'longer' periods of time; My; invention also servesin this manner to prevent the contents of the package from heing'crushedf] s I further objector theinventionis to'provide a jack whichwill-exert constant pressure upon thearticles. within the package to,,-move them toward the opening toreplace article taken from the package. V v

Still another. object of thisinvention -is-to' provi'deconstant pressure on articles contained'witm in a" package, in such'a .mannenthat-neither by their own weight I nor byv ordinary; jarring or" shaking will sucharticles fallout. of their package container, this prevents the articles from bem'suamageab fallingllo'ose from their container. Still other objects-of this invention are to pro vidisuchfa'deirice which will beflight in weight, oc upy butlittle space within the package 'when the'pa'ckagejs' r1111, be simple tomanufacture, and be extremeiytmw i1'1cpst.- s I, Other" objects will become apparent from the followingd'scription which illustrates somec-f the preferred and practical embodiments of this invention; I p t .7 e In the drawing which accompanie -sand iorms apart of this specification, and-throughout the several figures of which, like-reference charactersi"- are employed to denote like :parts:

,,Fi"gure1'isa v'ertical section througha; cigaarett' packagel shoW'ing the; article positioning jack in place;

Figure-2 sideview"ofgthe artiole-positidning'fjack bf'orefbingplaced m a package;

F 1gures4'and'5 are"prs'pctivejvie"w"sof opposite sides" of a mo'dlifiedforzh ofthelnvfitidnf a Figure" G'isap'erSpectiV view'bi a'fiirthferinodi fi'edform-offthe inventionjand 1 p v Figure 7 isa"perspectiveView"ofanotherinodi fi-cation. l v

In modern merchandising many products are sold'in packag'for'mfa'hfimber of articles being wrapped or boxed and sold as a unit, for example,

cigarett s,"sanitaryfnapkms;paper ame na paper. handkerchiefsl such.i-as K1eenek-','. firstiaid' bandages andcompresses; and certain: drugstore supplies suchas icoiiliver'" oil and h'ali'ver? "oil' in capsule .rq'rm. It: is almost" an 1; universal custom amonglcigarette" u'sers,,rar"examp1'e; Sin; dpemigg the package to tear'off on'efcornerT and .jtoi emove cigarettes through this openingIone 'at aftime as needed. -There are; howev distinct; ad tagesto'thisfmethodl Inthefirsitplace} ac agesl are'made to closely-embrace'the articles. they contain. Thus; whenvalr'elativly:snial tion of one-end of apackage is openednthe I'a clesdirectly under the opening are readi a easily removed, but. after such: removals the re} I mainin gt articles backunder the unopehedl'poif tiOIlSf'Of the package cannot be reached'conven; W Ase cannot easily-v be shaken to a position under the opening. Thus, those articles are frequentl-if torn; 1 made vunshapely or otherwise damaged before they, are finallyremovedforuse. e I Aasecondz disad vantage of-this method lies the fact: that afterseveral units. of. the 'articles have been-removed from the package A and-j the package is-- inadvertently inclined; or inverted ith 1 remainingtarticles which ar loose may dropf out,

thusynotpnlycausing inconvenience tqthe' user, but damage and inj to the article 'as well Again -;-;usingcigarettesas; an example, the; re moval or, one, -01 two. will permit most; of those remaining-=beneathrthe opening to eventually tall out causing inconvemencetothe user andusuale 1y injury to the-cigarettes;- A-lthough the foregoing has-dealt particularly with cigarette. packs agesa-it' is" equally-true of other similar packaged vantages'anddnconveniencesare overcome ;Refer-ring-to the *drawing in detai-L- and first adverting to that form; ofythe invention}, shown in: Figures-4, 2; and '3; the invention'contemplates theuse of a; relatively stiff, though flexible, rec;

V tangular member'- 8- ofcardboard;*fiber, ce1-1uloid;

or-=the=like scored transversely at-some -point; perhaps, butinot' necessarily, midway between its ends -as at'v9i A tehsion'in'g element I0,!2prefierably of rubber, although othet materials have ing sin'filarj' roperties 'xiay a1so" b'e"used', has ends anchored hearthe upper andfloweredes'of th'' member" l Bu by suitablemeans sucm-as the staplesl l 'a nd I 2. The" tensioningf elements; I 0318 stretchedewhile it.isbeingesecured to -the'=mem'ber to bend at the score line 9. a As it bends a-titlie score line the resulting arms l3 and I4 form the sides of some form of a triangle which has the tensioning element l8 at its base. The more the element It! contracts the smaller will become the apex angle of the triangle and consequently the altitude will increase. A counterpart of this structure of a smaller size, having a member scored at It and a tensioning element l1 secured near the edges of the member l5 by the staples l8 and I9, is fixed to the member 8 by means of a staple or glue or other fastening device passing through the score lines 9 and I6. Thus is produced two triangles having their apexes joined together.

In Figure l is shown a conventional cigarette package 2i with a a jack such asthat just described in place within the package. One corner of the package has been torn ofi as at 22 and some of the cigarettes removed. The members 8 and 15 of the jack are flat as in Figure 2 when placed in the package. Due to the relatively tight fit of the package about the cigarettes the jack will remain in this position'until some of the contents are removed. As cigarettes are taken from the package through the opening 22 the members 8 and Hi can bend at their score lines under the pull of the tensioning elements In and I1. As the two similar triangles begin to take form the upper and lower edges of the member 8 will bear against the side wall 23 of the package 2|, while the upper and lower edges of the jack seatmember l5 will bear against the cigarettes forcing them away from the-wall 23 of the package and against the side wall 24. Upon withdrawal of more cigarettes from the package, the tensioning elements 10 and I! will draw the upper and lower edges of the members 8 and I5 closer together making the apex angles of the two triangles more acute and increasing their altitudes, thereby forcing the remaining cigarettes against the side wall 24 of the package under the opened corner 22. In this manner as long as any cigarettes remain inthepack-age they will be gently, but firmly, pressed by the jack seat against the side wall 24 of the package thus maintaining the cigarettes in a position at the opening where they may be readily removed.

In Figures 4 and 5 a slightly modified form of jack is shown. This form comprises two elongated strips 25 and 26, the strip 25 having'a reduced tongue 21 which passes througha lip'28 cut in the strip 26. A tensioning element 29 is secured to the upper end of strip 25 and to the lower end ofstrip 26. The upper end of strip 26 is out to form a plurality of fingers 30. In use the tongue 21 and the fingers 30 will form a jack seat whichwill bear against the cigarettes while the opposite ends of the strips will bear against the side wall of the package. This form is peculiarly adapted to use in a cigarette package as the cigarettes may not present an even surface for the jack to bear against. The resiliency of the fingers 30 will allow the jack to press firmly against the individual cigarettes.

Figure 6 shows a further modified form in which a triangle similar to that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 has the sides 3| and 32 and a tensioning element 33. To this triangular structure is secured a relatively short flat jack seat member 34 by means of a staple, glue, or other similar fastening means 35. The member 34 will provide a comparatively large bearing surface and may be preferable in some cases where a line contact pressure might injure the merchandise.

A further modification is shown in Figure '7, wherein one side of the triangular structure 36, 31, 38 has secured to it a single flat strip 39 having a series of fingers 40 formed at its upper end, the whole forming a jack seat to bear against the article to be positioned in the package.

While a number of forms of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that these are given by way of example and not by way of limitation.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A jack for positioning articles in a package so that they are readily accessible, comprising a rectangular member having one end reduced to form a. tongue, a second rectangular member having a slot to receive the tongue of said first member to hingedly connect the two members together, a tensioning element secured near and stretched between one end of the first member and one endof the second member, contraction of the tensioning element causing the hinge connection of the members to move out of the plane of theends, the continuations of the two said members past the hinge forming a jack seat to bear against the articles in the package.

2. A jack for positioning articles in a package so that they will be readily accessible at all times, comprising: an elongated member having a reduced tongue section; a second elongated member having a slot through which the tongue section of the first elongated member may pass so as to pivotally connect the two members together; a tensioning element, the ends of said tensioning element being secured near one end of the first elongated member andthe corresponding end of the second elongated member; the other end of said second elongated member being cut to form a plurality of resilient fingers, said resilient fingers and the tongue section of said first elongated member forming a jack seat which bears against the contents of said package; all substantially as described.

3. A jack for positioning articles in a package so that they are readily accessible, comprising, an elongated member having one end reduced to form a tongue, a second elongated member having a slot adapted to receive the tongue of the first member to hingedly connect the two members together, a tensioning element secured near one end of the first elongated member and one end of the second elongated member, the continuations of the two said members past the hinge connection forming a jack seat to bear against the articles in the package.

4. A jack for positioning articles in. a package so that they are readily accessible, comprising I an elongated member having one end reduced to form a tongue, a second elongated member having a slot to receive the tongue of the said first member to hingedly connect the two elongated members together, a tensioning means secured near and stretched between one end of. the first member and one end of the second member, contraction of the tensioning means causing the hinge connection of the elongated members 'to move out the plane pf theirends, a plurality of fingers on one end of, the first elongated member, said fingers and said tongue forming a jack seat which bears against the contents of said package, all substantially as described.

AXEL H. LUNDSTROM. 

